For as massive and impressive as it is, there are still a lot of things MISSING from Disney World.
The four parks that make up one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations may be filled with magic, but when you compare them to other Disney parks around the world, sometimes they fall short. Sure, we’ve got unique things like Animal Kingdom, Pandora — The World of Avatar, the World Showcase, Figment, and Liberty Square…but there are some things that we really miss that you can’t find at The Most Magical Place on Earth!
Animatronics
Let’s start with the animatronics! Don’t get us wrong — Disney World has some really impressive ones. (Hello, Shaman of Song on Na’vi River Journey!) But if you compare some of the new animatronics at Disney’s international parks with some of the ones we have…well, they’re outshining us for sure.
For instance, there are some incredibly lifelike animatronics in Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast at Tokyo Disney. And that ride has some SERIOUS tech to go along with them!
And recently, Disney shared a look at the new Elsa animatronic coming to Hong Kong Disneyland. It’s a HUGE improvement from the facial projections animatronics on Frozen Ever After in EPCOT.
We couldn’t keep it in ❄️ Here’s a sneak peek of Elsa, coming to the Frozen Ever After attraction at World of Frozen in. And that’s not the only #FirstLookfromHKDL we're sharing: https://t.co/DZ7yuCQ1aE pic.twitter.com/IirSiewz5K
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 7, 2023
Maybe one day we’ll get some of these awesome animatronics in Disney World — a fan can only hope!
Rides
But what’s even more impressive than the animatronics? The rides at some of the other parks! In fact, there are many times when Disneyland or international park versions of classic rides are regarded as “much better” than their Disney World counterparts.
For example, take Pirates of the Caribbean. Not only do most people prefer the Disneyland version to the Magic Kingdom version, but the Shanghai iteration of the ride is truly epic. It features cutting-edge animatronics with IMAX-sized screens, even going as far as diving guests into Davy Jones’s Locker. Seriously impressive.
We could also mention the fact that Disneyland Park gets a ride overlay that we would LOVE to see at Magic Kingdom — Haunted Mansion Holiday. The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed storyline is a fan-favorite and a must-do if you’re visiting during the winter months. But alas, the biggest holiday overlay that we get is at the Jingle Cruise.
Many people also prefer Disneyland Resort’s version of Space Mountain, “it’s a small world,” and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission — BREAKOUT! when compared to Tower of Terror.
Character Meets
The international parks get some pretty cool characters (we’re talking about you, Duffy and friends!), but we’ll specifically mention Disneyland Resort to make this point. The two west coast parks are constantly getting rare meet-and-greets that we don’t get in Florida, giving us some serious FOMO.
For instance, California Adventure had meets with Raya and Mirabel long before those characters ever joined the Adventure Friends Cavalcade in Magic Kingdom. And even then, you’re only seeing them from afar.
We also spotted a meet-and-greet with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Ortensia the Cat at the California Adventure Lunar New Year Celebration in early 2023, and when Lightyear was released in summer 2022, Disneyland got a live-action Buzz Lightyear character.
These rare characters are often used as a method for enticing local guests to return again and again, since there aren’t as many vacationers at DLR as WDW, but we’d still love to see some unique ones here at Disney World!
Merchandise and Snacks
And finally, we have to talk about merchandise and snacks! The foreign Disney parks had Mickey-shaped soap dispensers long before they came to Disney World, and you can find unique treats in some of the Asian parks — things like Mike Wazowski Melon Bread, Potato Churros, Scrump Dumplings, and more!
We long for the day when Disney introduces more outside-the-box snacks to the park…and not just for those EPCOT festivals! We would love to get a little more creative than just different flavors of churros and cupcakes.
So as you can see, we sometimes get a little jealous of the other Disney parks since they have so many cool offerings. We definitely love Disney World and everything that’s there, but we do tend to get less “special surprises” since so many guests who come to WDW are once-in-a-lifetime vacationers.
Stay tuned to DFB for more updates from the Disney parks and all the tips you need to know for your vacation!
25 International Disney Snacks We Wish Would Come to Disney Wrld — Click Here!
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Beth says
Couple comments. 1. I still love the tower of terror theme and hope they dont change that. 2. You missed the best animatronic of all. The flying spider man at DCA. He’s my favorite. Just wish he had more than one pass in him.
Tammy says
What about the lack of a nighttime parade while Disneyland gets multiple versions? Really disappointed that there wasn’t a 50th anniversary parade.
Tom M says
re: Rides
We are stuck with herky-jerky, awful rides like Runaway Railroad and Ratatouille at WDW. Come on Disney, you can do so much better.